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VANCOUVER - For one game at least, Zack Kassian lived up to his billing as a power forward who can produce points. cheap jerseys from china . Kassian recorded four assists to earn the first four-point night of his star-crossed NHL career Sunday night as the Vancouver Canucks rallied to beat his former team, the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. "It was one of those games (where) it seemed the puck followed me," said Kassian. "Its nice personally, but its even better we keep this streak going." The Canucks (33-30-10) have now posted two consecutive wins for the first time since mid-January. Vancouver pulled within three points of eighth-place Phoenix, and one point of ninth-place Dallas in the race for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Sabres (20-43-8), last in the NHL by a wide margin, suffered their eighth loss in the past 10 games as they squandered an early 2-0 lead. Brad Richardson, Shawn Matthias, Yannick Weber and David Booth, with his first goal in 33 games, scored for the Canucks, who have won five of their last eight contests. The Sabres went ahead 2-0 only 3:29 into the game, but the score was tied 2-2 after the first period and the Canucks led 3-2 following the second. "In this league you cant play good sometimes," said Sabres coach Ted Nolan. "Youve got to play good all the time. Thats a lesson to learn and something we have to do to move forward." Tyler Ennis and Jamie McBain provided the offence for Buffalo. Kassian has often faced criticism since he was traded to Vancouver from the Sabres at the NHL trade deadline in February 2012 in the four-player deal that saw former Canuck fan favourite Cody Hodgson head to Buffalo. Kassian, Buffalos top 2009 draft pick (13th overall) excelled offensively two days after saying he is playing primarily a checking role now while Hodgson is primarily an offensive player. Hodgson, Vancouvers first choice (10th overall) in 2008, went without a point while the Sabres were badly outplayed for most of the game. "Im excited for every game, but obviously you want to play hard against your old team," said Kassian. "You definitely want to get the win, but its nice when you play well individually and as a line." Matthias, who was acquired in the Roberto Luongo trade from Florida, also had two assists while Richardson had one helper. The Canucks had not posted two straight wins since beating the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18, when coach John Tortorella drew a suspension for charging their dressing room between the first and second periods, and Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 21. Vancouver goaltender Eddie Lack overcame a slow start to earn the win. After allowing goals on Buffalos first and third shots of the game, Lack was sharp and finished with 16 saves. "The team did a great job bouncing back," said Lack. "I felt like I wasnt really tracking the puck well the first half of the game but then I just kind of settled down and felt better after that." Vancouvers quick rally from its early deficit spoiled a strong effort from rookie Buffalo goaltender Nathan Lieuwen, a 22-year-old Abbotsford, B.C., native who made just his second NHL career start and third appearance after being promoted from Rochester of the AHL on March 16. He recorded 32 saves as his club was outshot 36-18. "Thats frustrating and thats hockey," he said. "You get some good bounces and you do good things and you make mistakes, so Ill definitely learn from it." Weber scored the winning goal just 1:40 into the second period as he put a shot through Lieuwens legs to give the Canucks a 3-2 lead. Sabres defenceman Mike Weber was close to his Canuck namesake on the play, but Lieuwen said the puck went straight in. "I thought I had it and, obviously, there was a hole," said Lieuwen. "I dont know what to tell you. Thats obviously one that I feel I can obviously save. What a terrible night for that to go in." The goal sullied his "dream come true" of playing in Vancouver, where he has "tonnes of family." Ennis was also left frustrated as he watched the Sabres lead disintegrate after he had McBain had put them ahead. "We heard (Lack) has been shaky, so we wanted to get on him early, and we did," said Ennis. Kassian was not around for the final horn because he took a puck between the eyes, for the second time on the night, with 1:32 left in the game. He needed "about 10 stitches" to repair a cut. "So my face isnt getting any prettier, thats for sure," he said. Notes: Vancouver lost Henrik Sedin to an apparent knee injury late in the second period as he collided with a fallen Buffalo player behind the Sabres net. "I went to hit a guy and he came back off the boards and he fell on top of me, so well see how it is (Monday)," said Sedin. The mishap occurred after the Canucks and NHL honoured the Canucks captain for his 1,000th NHL game, played March 12 in Winnipeg. NHL senior vice-president of hockey operations Jim Gregory represented the league. ... Vancouver forwards Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin returned after suffering injuries earlier this month, but Alex Burrows missed the game with a hand injury suffered Thursday against Nashville. ... Hodgson played his 200th NHL regular-season game. … Lack made his 35th start of the season. At the outset of the season, Tortorella indicated he would get 15-20 starts. … Buffalo defenceman Alexander Sulzer, who was acquired with Hodgson from the Canucks, missed his fifth consecutive game with an upper-body injury. … Sabres starting goaltender Michal Neuvirth, acquired from Washington at the trade deadline, also missed his fourth consecutive contest, with a lower-body ailment. … Neuvirth and Matt Hackett, who dressed as Buffalos backup, were traded for each other in the 2007-08 OHL season. Neuvirth went to Windsor from Plymouth while Hackett went the other way. nfl jerseys china . Louis Cardinals have agreed on a four-year contract, giving the All-Star a fresh start after his Biogenesis drug suspension last summer. Cheap Los Angeles Clippers Jerseys .J. -- New Jersey agreed with Petr Sykora to terms of a one-year deal on Wednesday, completing the former Devils bid to return to the NHL after an 18-month absence.BOCA RATON, Florida - It will be minor tweaks, not major overhauls, to come from this weeks general managers meetings in Boca Raton, Florida. While a number of more radical ideas, including the implementation of three-on-three play in overtime were discussed, none gained much traction. Instead, the GMs intend to put forth recommendations that they believe will enhance the product without dramatically overhauling it. "The big take away from this meeting is the managers are really happy with where the game is right now,"said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. Throughout the week, GMs have expressed an interest to lessen the number of games decided in a shootout. To that end, a recommendation is expected to be put forth to have teams switch sides to begin overtime (the same as in the second period), hoping that a teams bench being further from their defensive zone will lead to more goals. "I would say thats going to be recommended for sure," St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong confirmed. So far, 18 of 30 teams have scored their largest number of goals under these conditions in the second period. Also given consideration was doing the dry scrape of the ice prior to the overtime period to provide for better ice conditions instead of waiting until before the shootout; however, due to the potential of lengthening games, that item will continue to be discussed. "Do we dry scrape the ice after the sixty minutes or can the ice crew (with shovels) accomplish the same thing, saving two or three minutes? One of the concerns of the dry scrape is the continuity in the game," said Armstrong. "We want to keep the fans attached to it and were not sure if we want to slow the game down four or five minutes to get that dry scrape in." Armstrong indicated that the NHL will consult with Senior Director of Facilities Operations, Dan Craig, regarding the most optimal course of action to enhance the ice for overtime while mitigating the amount of time spent on the task. The GMs also intend to table a recommendation to widen the hash marks on faceoff circles to IIHF standards in an effort to separate opposing wingers, preventing immediate scrums along the boards after draws. "Everyone thought that was a good idea," said Armstrong. "It eliminates the scrums along the boards and it allows the quicker player to get to loose pucks to generate scoring opportunities." Additionally, it is expected that a recommendation to alter the face-off procedure somewhat will be put forward. As it stands currently, if a player is removed from a face-off, another teammate will come in to take the draw. Cheap Philips Sports Union Jerseys. If a second infraction is committed, a team will be assessed a two-minute minor penalty. The intended recommendation provides tha,t instead of replacing the offending player, he would simply be forced to move back 12-18 inches (exact distance still being considered), lessening his ability to win the draw. "By doing that, the player loses leverage," explained Armstrong. "We think the referees will be more comfortable calling a (two-minute) penalty on the same guy (who has now cheated twice)." The NHL will also table a recommendation to redefine what a "distinct kicking motion is" allowing for pucks to be directed in by skates where the blade remains on the ice. Daly indicated, though, that the interpretation wont be implemented until next season so that the relevant people can be educated as to the change to avoid confusion. A lot of discussion regarding expanding video review took place, as well, largely focused on whether to allow for the review of plays where goals were scored that may have been affected by goaltender interference. Adding video monitors in the penalty box to allow for officials to review calls impacted by goaltender interference, an item that Calgary Flames President and GM Brian Burke expressed on Monday he would be in favour of, will not be recommended at this point, though Daly suggested it is something the league will further consider. "One specific thing that was talked about, not necessarily recommended but certainly studied further, is adding monitors to penalty benches to allow on-ice officials to review potential interference calls for good goals versus not good goals," Daly confirmed. He also explained that there was an appetite among general managers for the Toronto hockey operations situation room to be given expanded latitude in ruling on situations like the one that occurred on January 18 in a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings. In that example, a puck clearly went into the netting and out of play but was missed, leading directly to a Red Wings goal and, subsequently, a Red Wings win after the game was being led by the Kings in regulation prior to the missed call with less than thirty seconds left in the third period. "I think the managers feel something thats egregious and obvious like that, there should be some latitude to make those calls and get the calls right," said Daly. cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' '